As a young man, Brooklyn-born Frederick “Primrose” Binseel traveled the United States and Canada on the Vaudeville circuit before settling in Albany. At first, he was part of a comic duo with James McIntyre, Jr., son of a famous blackface performer. Mr. Binseel probably took his inspiration as well as his stage name from George…
Month: December 2014
Documenting Displacement
On the morning of March 27, 1962, the New York State Department of Public Works (DPW) filed two maps with the Albany County Clerk, thereby acquiring by right of eminent domain 98.5 acres in downtown Albany—part or all of 40 city blocks. The take maps, along with individual notices appropriation to property owners and management…
Sleeping, Drinking, and Dying at the Palombi Hotel
On April 8, 1940, census enumerator Anthony Leone found 92 men living at the Palombi Hotel on Green Street. White, marginally employed, and predominantly native-born, they ranged in age from 28 to 76. They probably paid a quarter a night for a bed, more for a private or semi-private room. Transient or semi-transient, these men…
98 Acres in Albany 